Behind the Lens
by Purplerose128
Summary: My contribution to Akorima Week 2015. Ibushi Arima liked to think of himself as an observer by nature. Ever present in his photographs but never in the photos he took. But then a little curiosity brings him to a pink fluffball who shows him that being in the frame can be just as beautiful.


**Hello everyone! This little oneshot spawned from the prompt for day 3 of Akorima Week "Online" and... it turned into something that has taken over the past few days of my existence. I'll do my best to update my Akorima fic "Play Our Little Game" before the week is over now that this is out of my way. But, in the meantime, I hope you enjoy this. Also, bonus points if you catch the little guest appearance I threw in because headcanons~!**

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Ibushi Arima liked to think of himself as an observer by nature. He was never a very assertive boy by any stretch of the word. He could have an authoritative air about him at times, but that was mostly his family name's doing.

Maybe it was because he wasn't the first born child that he became so passive. After all, having an older brother meant the likelihood of him inheriting the bulk of the Arima fortune had become slim. Not that Ibushi cared that much; he wasn't sure he was cut out for such a demanding position in life. Oh no, he was quite comfortable behind the scenes, away from the spotlights and camera flashes. He'd rather set the scene or, even better, be the one snapping the pictures.

Ibushi had always loved plants and had grown his own garden since middle school. It was just a hobby then, something that he did in his spare time. But as he grew so did his love for his garden and his skill in maintaining it. When they noticed this in their son, his parents built a space off of his bedroom that was all his own to nurture and groom. Come high school, he started sending away for foreign seeds and taking on the task of cultivating plants that took months or even years to pop out of the soil.

Around the same time, he befriended the son of another wealthy family: Kinshiro Kusatsu. He was pretty uptight and particular about how certain things were (like his tea, Ibushi quickly noticed) but Ibushi wasn't put off by it. In fact, the more he got to know Kinshiro the more intriguing the other boy was. While he was very interested in traditional Japanese style, he was also more familiar with social media than Ibushi was. He was even a bit of a celebrity on Vine. Or, well, his pet hedgehog was.

It was odd how seeing Kinshiro happy to share his little quilled buddy with the world made Ibushi want to do something similar. So he did something he never thought he'd do. He made a blog.

After some debate, he settled on centering this blog around the thing he loved the most: his garden. He took pictures of his personal oasis with his phone to post, catalogued the progress his newer additions were making, and even dedicated posts to tips on raising certain species. And he really liked doing it! It wasn't immediate, but people on the website slowly started following him and sharing his pictures and leaving comments. People liked his posts and especially his photos. And, with that confidence boost, came a new camera.

Before Ibushi knew it, he was learning more about cameras and the features that they could come with and just how expensive they could become. All the while, Kinshiro gave him advice about handling his new, more involved hobby. Pictures of flowers and super short videos featuring "Lord Zundar" were very different things, of course, but they both grabbed interest and, in order to maintain that interest, their creators had to take risks and try new things. Of course, some failed (those lotus flowers _had_ to be cursed, there was no other explanation!) but the successes were great efforts.

Somehow, Ibushi found himself going to college for his second love: photography. He figured that, since his brother was clearly going to inherit their father's position, he might as well try to do something he loved to sustain himself. And that kind of required more training than online forums and Youtube videos could give alone.

He and Kinshiro decided to attend the same university and be roommates since they were together all the time anyway. Moving away from home was a drastic change but, once they both adapted to the new environment, it was a very welcome one. And it was just the right amount of exciting since their dorm had a smuggled hedgehog living in it with them, per Kinshiro's insistence. It was needless to say that being near the resident advisors was nerve-wracking at times, especially that one time Zundar escaped out into the hall and it took a lot of sneaking around to find him again. It was then that Ibushi realized why he liked his plants better than animals.

College was also the time when he started branching out a bit more academically and socially. Ibushi actually became friends with people from lower classes than his own and with some persuasion, even Kinshiro was brought a bit out of his shell. Ibushi even brought this exploring into his online life and began following blogs that weren't all about gardening. He started seeing more things from aesthetic bloggers and pages exclusively in black and white. He followed one crafting blog that used plants as a medium, which was really freaking cool sometimes.

And, slowly but surely, this one particular blogger's posts kept winding up on his dashboard. Ibushi blamed the aesthetic blogs he followed, but _damn_ he had to admit the photos were beautiful. The pictures always featured a person with a feminine face and long, flowing pink hair. They were always wearing something different in each photo set and, to be honest, Ibushi wasn't sure what gender this person even was when he first saw them. He knew it shouldn't have mattered because they were gorgeous either way, but Ibushi had never seen someone who was able to pull off a sundress in one set and a v-neck, tie, and skinny jeans in the next set. Granted, he wasn't too into fashion so for all he knew this was perfectly normal.

After a few weeks of seeing this person on his dashboard, Ibushi decided to check out their blog and was taken aback by the sheer amount on pastel pink that the theme contained. Or, to be more precise, pink and white. The blog itself was laden with photo sets that they'd taken, selfies that must have been posted daily, fashion tips, and miscellaneous things like jewelry and… photos of macaroons. But they somehow all blended together and just felt right in this space. This blog was certainly prettier than his; that was for sure.

Then he trailed into the blogger's "About Me" page to try to put a name to this face. There wasn't much to this page. It was just one small paragraph and a sentence, but it was filled with what Ibushi needed to know. It read:

 _Welcome to beauty! My name is Akoya. I may not always look it, but I'm a boy. I'm at university studying finance and started this blog to bring some sparkle back into my world (and maybe yours too). And what better way to do that than just share myself with the world like people do with art? I love it when I look my best but you will find some of my other interests scattered around here as well. I post selfies daily_ (Ibushi fucking called it!) _and other stuff a few times a week… usually._

 _Also, go check out my friend Rei's blog if you want to see the pictures he takes that don't have me in them. Enjoy~!_

Attached to the name in the last line was a link to another photography blog Ibushi had seen a few times. He'd never talked to the blogger himself, but he had to admit that the guy took some incredible shots. And, to make things better, Ibushi knew that Rei lived rather close by, no more than a half hour away. He was local and, since the guy seemed to photograph Akoya often, that meant Akoya was also local. That fact alone made Ibushi's stomach flip because _holy hell_ did he want to take pictures of Akoya!

That's all there was to it; a desire to capture someone as beautiful as Akoya on his own camera. It was simple yet powerful, strong enough to give Ibushi the bravery to go into the other blogger's messaging board and start a conversation. He figured that it would be better to befriend Akoya first because come on, a random stranger on the internet asking to take pictures of you was kind of creepy. Was it strange that Ibushi was surprised when Akoya replied to his initial "hello?" He thought the excitement he felt was a little weird.

The next few weeks were filled with the two bloggers sending each other messages and exchanging Skype names. And Ibushi was right about him being close by. It turned out Akoya was attending a college just a few cities over, the same one as his photographer friend. And, of course, Kinshiro was the first to know about how quickly the two were becoming friends.

"So you still want to meet him for that shoot you wanted to do?" The white-haired boy questioned over lunch, only half paying attention while he shoved a small piece of sandwich into the pocket of his shirt. Within seconds of putting it there, Zundar had gotten a hold of it was poked his head out of the pocket in search of more.

"Well, yeah." Ibushi confessed "That's why I messaged him in the first place; I just didn't want to come across as creepy."

Kinshiro picked some crust off of his bread and held it out for the hedgehog "Are you thinking about turning the photos in for your final?"

"I am."

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him." The shorter boy reasoned "If he's comfortable with it, then that's great."

"You're right." Ibushi glanced down at the empty tea cups on the table "Would you like some more tea?"

"I would."

The next time he spoke with Akoya, Ibushi proposed the idea. He seemed a little unsure at first, until he asked if it was okay to bring someone else with him. Ibushi immediately agreed to the condition; whatever it took to make Akoya feel comfortable with the meet-up.

Before he knew it, the day they scheduled to meet came and Ibushi found himself waiting in a park a few blocks from his college's campus. The bag he kept his camera in was draped over his shoulder and he gripped the strap tightly out of habit, it would be a disaster if he dropped and broke his favorite camera.

He'd been waiting for about fifteen minutes before a pair of voices started trailing closer to his spot on a bench. He turned and saw two people making their way towards the fountain in the park's center, their planned meeting place. The taller of the two was sharply dressed in a button-down, a vest, and khaki pants. Red glasses framed his eyes and expertly styled blue hair bounced with every step he took.

When he turned his attention to the shorter, Ibushi's breath got caught in his throat "… Akoya…?"

Said person spun around looking for the source of the voice, making the braid his hair was tied in flop off of his shoulder and slip down his back. Yep, it was Akoya. And he looked as beautiful as he did in the pictures. Lovely pale skin, shining blue eyes, and one of the prettiest faces Ibushi had ever seen, even in comparison to girls he's seen.

As if by instinct, though, the first thing that he fully took in about the shorter blogger was his outfit. A spring green cardigan over a white blouse and pink shorts. Akoya may have dressed casually by his definition, but Ibushi still felt a bit self-conscious when he compared that adorable outfit to his polo shirt and jeans. Maybe it was that big bow necklace that the other was wearing that made it so cute…

"Ibushi?" Akoya asked in confirmation. He smiled when the taller boy nodded "It's nice to meet you in person."

"It is for me too." Ibushi confessed "You look lovely today, by the way."

Akoya blushed a little bit and smiled "Thank you. You said to dress casual so… I hope this isn't too much!"

"No, it's perfect." Ibushi assured.

"Oh, good." Akoya sighed. Then, he glanced at the boy beside him "This is Rei, by the way."

"Hello." Rei greeted before adjusting his glasses "It's nice to finally put a face to the person Akoya keeps talking about."

"Same here." Ibushi smiled "I've seen some of your work; those butterflies you posted last week were beautiful."

"Of course!" Rei boasted "All things beautiful are my specialty."

Akoya giggled and smirked at his friend "Even that stupid mascot piece you did?"

"THAT WAS FOR THE SCHOOL PAPER!" Rei declared, causing Akoya to laugh even harder.

The three of them wound up wandering around the park for some time, just taking in the surroundings and atmosphere. At some point, Ibushi's camera had made it out of its case and into his hands at the ready. And, before he realized it, Rei was in the same position. He didn't even know the other photographer had brought a camera! It must have been in his backpack.

Ibushi was snapping some shots of a patch of wildflowers when he heard Rei's voice call out "Akoya!" Said boy made his way over to his friend without hesitation. Ibushi looked on as they shared a brief conversation before Akoya fixed his hair and started posing next to a small tree. He leaned against the trunk and smiled, head tilted slightly. Then he stepped away and trailed his hand along the bark as he walked in a circle. Finally, he sat down at the base and stared up at the sky, one hand going up to his braid.

After that shot, Rei noticed the other student watching them "You can partake in this too if you want to, Ibushi."

"You wanted a photo shoot right?" Akoya playfully asked "I'm giving you one!"

Ibushi awkwardly walked over to the pair and crouched down beside Rei in the grass. Akoya reclined against the tree and crossed his arms while the photographers prepared their cameras.

"Sorry, we've kind of fallen into this pattern where I find a spot and Akoya just does his thing." Rei stated.

"It's fine." Ibushi assured "I just didn't want to interrupt." He glanced back to Akoya and the two shared a brief smile.

The trio spent the afternoon in a similar fashion: Rei and Ibushi with their cameras around their necks as they moved from the park into the city, trailing closely behind Akoya like they were his personal paparazzi. They'd stopped for lunch (of course, they took pictures of it before they ate) and then Akoya practically dragged them into a sweets shop to buy a small box of macaroons… which resulted in him taking selfies with one before he ate any of them.

Ibushi caught Akoya in a particularly relaxed pose, resting his cheek against his hand, elbow supporting itself on the table. "Don't move." He whispered, as if he'd ruin the moment if he spoke too loudly, and snapped a picture.

He saw a flash beside him and saw Rei aiming his camera at him, smiling to himself "I've had a desire to do something kind of meta lately…" He admitted "and the way your face looks when you're focused is stunning."

Ibushi blushed and looked down at his own camera. He was never the one in the pictures, he was the one taking them. To be on the other side of the lens for once was a little unnerving for him.

Akoya sighed to get their attention, bored expression on his face "Can I move now?"

"Y-yeah, sorry…" Ibushi stammered.

"I'm sorry, do you not like having your picture taken?" Rei asked, sounding a bit guilty.

"It's just not something I'm used to." Ibushi confided.

Rei chuckled "Well, trust me, if you hang around Akoya long enough you won't be camera shy ever again."

They both looked at the pink-haired boy, who was tapping away on his phone. When his fingers stopped moving, he looked up at them "Huh?"

Ibushi was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat right then.

That evening the trio said their goodbyes, with promises to meet in a similar fashion in the future, and Ibushi began his walk back to the dorm he shared with Kinshiro. And it was during a re-telling of the day's events that made Ibushi Arima realize that he'd somehow developed a crush on Akoya. It actually took Kinshiro coming out and saying "It means you're attracted to him" for Ibushi to understand. Meanwhile, his friend just sighed and started preparing for the next crisis: helping Ibushi handle his newly-realized feelings and, hopefully, helping get the two of them together.

Nearly six months went by before anything became of Ibushi's crush, and not in the way he'd imagined. It was Akoya who confessed first, one spring underneath the rain of cherry blossoms. That same night they held hands and, as a gentle breeze hit them, they shared their first kiss. Akoya tasted like vanilla and it felt so right for Ibushi to have the shorter boy's hips in his hands. They both turned red when they separated and couldn't look at each other for a few seconds, but their hands found their way back to one another and seamlessly linked. That was one moment where the beauty within it couldn't be contained inside of a photograph, but the memory lives on between the two of them, so clear it might have happened yesterday.

Ibushi Arima always called himself an observer. And, at his core, he still is. But now he's just a little different. Because now when he travels around the world for his next perfect shot and paycheck, he has a model tagging along to pose for their personal photo album. Though Akoya isn't a fan of the hikes (and sometimes insists on being carried up a particularly steep incline) he comes along anyway because the view and Ibushi's face upon getting the perfect image are "too beautiful to miss out on."

At heart, Ibushi Arima is still an observer, just the essence behind every picture. Ever present but never seen, his face rarely shown in his profession. But, thanks to a photogenic ball of pink fluff, it is now possible to find his face immortalized in Akoya's collection of many, many selfies from their adventures… right next to their book of pressed flower crowns.


End file.
